Just Do Something
by livebyinsanity
Summary: Sometimes you just have to do something. Particularly when a friend's life is in danger. Season 4. A reveal fic. One-shot. Merlin/Arthur, Tristan/Isolde


_Summary: Sometimes you just have to do something. Particularly when a friend's life is in danger. Season 4. A reveal fic._

_Written for a very special friend._

~*~O~*~

**Just Do Something**

The ceiling collapsed. Rubble and chunks of wall plaster feel to the ground, blocking the path between Morgana and Gwen. Merlin stood, his eyes slowly losing their golden colour and his palm fell casually back towards his side. No one had seen anything; Merlin was sure of it. Merlin stepped forwards and helped Gwen up.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Merlin asked her, plastering a look of confusion.

Gwen stared at him with wide eyes. "Merlin!" She all but gasped. "Morgana...sword...the roof..."

She began pointing in the direction of the collapsed ceiling. Merlin squinted through the dust. Subtly using a weak magic that wouldn't even make his fingers twinkle, Merlin increased his eyesight, noticing a retreating Morgana who was limping mildly and clearly injured.

"I can't see anything." Merlin told Gwen otherwise. "But we should head back to Arthur and find out what's happening."

There was a moment when Gwen stared at him, uncomprehending and Merlin frowned while his eyes flitted around. Then, Gwen suddenly realised that her love, Arthur was still fighting. Gwen nodded, picking up her skirts and running back down the hallway with Merlin chasing at her heels. The distinct clangs of clashing swords could be heard when suddenly there was a loud scream, so deeply angry and full of agony, it seemed to resonate through the castle itself.

Heart beating with renewed adrenaline, Merlin's longer paces allowed him to get in front of Gwen. He all but dashed to the room where they had first confronted Morgana. He kicked the door open.

The first thing he saw was Arthur on the ground, beside a clearly dead Helios. As Gwen's footsteps stopped behind Merlin's, Merlin followed the king's gaze, straight to the source of screaming.

It was Tristan. He too was slumped on the ground. In his lap, lay Isolde whose face was rapidly losing colour and Merlin could see an ugly stab wound with a steadily increasing pool of blood around her gut. Merlin could only stare as a cascade of tears flowed quite ungraciously down Tristan's face as he whispered to Isolde, begging her to hold on, pleading for her to stay for him. He was forbidding her to leave because it was obvious his life had no meaning, unless Isolde was right in the centre of it.

There was a bustle of movement as Gwen tore a strip of fabric out of her dress. She kneelt down, pressing the cloth to Isolde's waist but Merlin knew it was in vain; the blood flow was violent and refused to be staunched. Tristan released another howl of despair.

And then Arthur had stood up and he too was shouting.

"Merlin! Do something!"

Merlin gazed at Arthur frantically, "What can I do?" He cried back as he shrugged off his red neckerchief. _It wouldn't be enough _Merlin knew this but he would try.

Merlin had barely moved two steps forwards when Arthur face-palmed, causing a loud 'crack' against his forehead.

"No!" Arthur growled, yanking at his hair. "Use your MAGIC, idiot!"

Merlin froze. He stared at Arthur, jaw gaping. The others too, had frozen with identical looks of surprise (even Isolde who was on the brink of unconsciousness). Arthur sighed. He pushed Merlin towards Isolde.

"Merlin" He said slowly as though speaking to someone intellectually deficient. "We are running out of time. Just go and use your magical... magic."

"You know about my magic?" Merlin whispered, still standing idiotically like a statue.

"Yes." Arthur snapped, exasperated. "Now would you just bloody heal Isolde!"

The angry tone managed to snap Merlin out of his shock. Now feeling slightly silly, Merlin knelt down next to Gwen who scooted to the side. He took a deep calming breath, blocking out the earnest eyes of Arthur and Gwen ignoring the sheer pained desperation in Tristan. He only thought of Gaius and the reassuring words Gaius would say...

"Þurhhæle dolgbenn" Merlin muttered as his eyes had palm lit up with the familiar golden aura of his magic.

He looked down and saw that the dagger was being pushed out and that the skin was reaching over to seal the wound. He watched it bubble before it settled down, only leaving an area of sensitivity and pinkness as a reminder of the once fatal wound. Merlin smiled; he had been worried, since this same spell had failed when he tried to use it on Arthur so long ago. The gold left Merlin's eyes. At that moment, Isolde opened hers and they were sharp, bright and focused.

"Isolde? Isolde!" Tristan said uncertainly. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm okay now." She responded with an endearing smile as she shuffled herself into a sitting position. "Thank you, Merlin."

But her gratitude was nothing compared to her sandy haired lover. Tristan practically sprang towards Merlin, shocking everyone when he wrapped Merlin in a bear-like hug.

He started to add his thanks on top of Isolde's. Merlin shook his head. He didn't deserve any thanks.

Those should go to Arthur.

~*~O~*~

A few days later, Merlin found Arthur in a quiet wing of the castle. It had been a hectic last couple of days. Arthur had decided to marry Gwen and the preparations were enormous. Arthur didn't order Merlin to help with such preparations but he did so anyway, wanting to make the special day as special as possible.

All the worry, all the flustering around last minute and the ceremony went off without a hitch. When Merlin cried out 'long live the king' and 'long live the queen', he meant it. He was so happy for those two.

But there was still something big on Merlin's mind and hence the reason he had went off to find Arthur.

Now, the wing was quiet so Merlin was sure that Arthur could hear his heart thumping in his ribcage. Merlin literally had something to get off his chest. So, being Merlin, he dived headfirst into the issue.

"So you know everything?" Merlin asked after a minute, unable to take any more of the silence.

"Yes." Arthur said, just as neutrally.

Inwardly, Merlin took a breath of relief. He had been afraid of having to explain about the great dragon who had tried to kill the king and destroy Camelot; it would have been awkward so Merlin was glad for the reprieve.

"How?" Merlin had to ask that next question; he knew he had been very cautious after all. "And for how long?"

"I've always known." Arthur claimed before forcing a dry chuckle. "How could I not notice that that I kept ending up unconscious? And when I woke up with a pounding headache, the evil super villain would be dead and you would be _unbearably _smug and super-happy." Here, he levelled Merlin with a long look. "I'm not stupid, Merlin. It wasn't that difficult to put the pieces together."

"Oh." Merlin felt a little bit stupid. He had been focussing in keeping his magic unseen by Arthur. Ironically, it was because Arthur _had not seen _that Arthur eventually discovered the truth. Merlin laughed, shaking his head. The world really didn't like him.

"And you don't mind?"

"No Merlin, I think I'm a much fairer person than my father was."

But as Merlin called Arthur a 'pompous prat' and Arthur retaliated by ramming Merlin into a wall, it was obvious that the drama for now had passed. Everything would be alright.

~*~O~*~

_Author's Note: A sort of sequel can be found on valuablenicola's profile page. Review please?_


End file.
